Nobel Prize winners
Churchill College counts 32 Nobel Prize winners amongst its Fellowship, both past and present.
These include: 9 in Physics, 8 in Physiology/Medicine, 7 in Economics, and 4 each in Chemistry and Literature.
Of the 32: 7 are or were ‘mainstream’ Fellows of the College, 19 were visiting Overseas Fellows, 8 are or were Honorary Fellows, and 1 was a student. We are fortunate enough to have at least one Nobel Prize medal from our Fellows in the Churchill Archives Centre.
The full list of our Nobel Prize winners includes:
Philip Anderson (Overseas Fellow 1961–2) Physics
1977: ‘Electronic structure of magnetic and disordered systems’
Kenneth Arrow (Overseas Fellow 1963–64, 1970, 1973, 1986; Honorary Fellow 2012) Economics
1972: ‘Contributions to general economic equilibrium theory and welfare theory’
Felix Bloch (Overseas Fellow 1967) Physics
1952: ‘New methods for nuclear magnetic precision measurements’
Sir Winston Churchill (Founder; Honorary Fellow 1965–5) Literature
1953: ‘Mastery of historical and biographical description as well as brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values’
Sir John Cockcroft (First Master 1960–7) Physics
1951: ‘The transmutation of atomic nuclei by artificially accelerated atomic particles’
Francis Crick (Fellow 1960–2; Honorary Fellow 1965–2004) Physiology/Medicine
1962: ‘Co–discovering the structure of DNA’
Gerard Debreu (Overseas Fellow 1972) Economics
1983: ‘New analytical methods in economic theory and reformulation of the theory of general equilibrium’
Angus Deaton (Overseas Fellow 1990–1) Economics
2015: ‘Analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare’
Peter Diamond (Overseas Fellow 1965–6) Economics
2010: ‘Analysis of markets with search frictions’
Sir Robert Edwards (Fellow 1979–2013) Physiology/Medicine
2010: ‘The development of in–vitro fertilisation’
Murray Gell-Mann (Overseas Fellow 1966) Physics
1969: ‘Work on the theory of elementary particles’
Vitali Ginzburg (Overseas Fellow 1967) Physics
2003: ‘Contributions to the theory of superconductors and superfluids’
Sir John Gurdon (Fellow 1973–95; Honorary Fellow 2007–present) Physiology/Medicine
2012: ‘The discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent’
Professor Oliver Hart (Fellow 1975-81) Economics
2016: ‘For work in the field of contracts’
Antony Hewish (Fellow 1961–present) Physics
1974: ‘Development of radio aperture synthesis and its role in the discovery of pulsars’
Roald Hoffman (Overseas Fellow 1978) Chemistry
1981: ‘Theory concerning the course of chemical reactions’
Pyotr Kapitza (Honorary Fellow 1976–84) Physics
1978: ‘Inventions and discoveries in the area of low–temperature physics’
James Watson (Overseas Fellow 1962) Physiology/Medicine
1962: ‘Co–discovering the structure of DNA’.
Har Gobind Khorana (Overseas Fellow 1967) Physiology/Medicine
1968: ‘Interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis’
Arthur Kornberg (Overseas Fellow 1970) Physiology/Medicine
1959: ‘Discovery of mechanisms in the biological synthesis of DNA’
William Lipscomb (Overseas Fellow 1966) Chemistry
1976: ‘Studies on the structure of boranes illuminating problems of chemical bonding’
Mario Vargas Llosa (Overseas Fellow 1977–8; Honorary Fellow 2012–present) Literature
2010: ‘Cartography of structures of power and trenchant images of the individual’s resistance, revolt, and defeat’
Eric Maskin (Overseas Fellow 1980–2) Economics
2007: ‘Laying the foundations of mechanism design theory’
Sir Paul Nurse (Honorary Fellow 2010–present) Physiology/Medicine
2001: ‘Discoveries of key regulators of the cell cycle’
Octavio Paz (Overseas Fellow 1970) Literature
1990: ‘Impassioned writing with wide horizons, characterised by sensuous intelligence and humanistic integrity’
Robert Solow (Overseas Fellow 1983–4) Economics
1987: ‘Contributions to the theory of economic growth’
Wole Soyinka (Overseas Fellow 1973–4; Honorary Fellow 2012–) Literature
1986: ‘In a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones he fashions the drama of existence’
David Thouless (Fellow 1961–5) Physics
2016: ‘Theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter.’
Alexander Todd (Founder Trustee; Honorary Fellow 1991–7) Chemistry
1967: ‘Work on nucleotides and nucleotide co–enzymes’
Roger Tsien (Postgraduate 1972–6; Honorary Fellow 2009–present) Chemistry
2008: ‘The discovery and development of the green fluorescent protein’
George Wald (Overseas Fellow 1963–4) Physiology/Medicine
1967: ‘Discoveries concerning the primary physiological and chemical visual processes in the eye’
Ernest Walton (By–Fellow 1972; Honorary Fellow 1989–95) Physics
1951: ‘The transmutation of atomic nuclei by artificially accelerated atomic particles’